Breakdown of Es handelt sich um eine Schlafstörung, wohingegen er nur von einer kurzen Phase spricht.
ein
a, an (eine)
er
he
sprechen
to speak
von
from, of / by (agent in passive clauses)
kurz
shortly / short
nur
only
es handelt sich um
it is a matter of, it concerns
wohingegen
whereas
die Schlafstörung
the sleep disorder
die Phase
the phase
Questions & Answers about Es handelt sich um eine Schlafstörung, wohingegen er nur von einer kurzen Phase spricht.
How does wohingegen affect the word order in the second half of this sentence?
Because wohingegen (whereas) is a subordinating conjunction, it kicks the conjugated verb to the end of the clause. That is why spricht appears at the very end.
Could I just use während instead of wohingegen to show contrast here?
You could, and it would also send the verb to the end. However, während can mean both 'while' (time) and 'whereas' (contrast). Using wohingegen completely removes any time-related ambiguity and heavily emphasizes the stark contradiction between a real medical disorder and a mere passing phase.
Why does the sentence use es handelt sich um rather than just saying es ist (it is)?
Es handelt sich um is a highly common, slightly formal expression meaning 'it is a matter of' or 'it is'. At the B2 level, you will see this frequently in medical, official, or professional contexts to sound more precise than a simple es ist. Remember that the preposition um within this phrase always requires the accusative case, hence eine Schlafstörung.
Why does the adjective kurz have an -en ending in von einer kurzen Phase?
The verb sprechen is paired here with the preposition von (to speak of). Because von always triggers the dative case, the feminine article eine changes to einer. In the dative case, adjectives that follow an indefinite article take an -en ending, resulting in kurzen.
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